Things We Lost to the Flames
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: "Charlie froze when he heard movement somewhere behind him. It was Quill, it had to be. He'd known that she'd come back at some point and it was only natural that it would be at night."


The Cabinet's warm glow washed over the room behind Charlie's back and he kind of wished it didn't - its presence felt much more real that way - but he couldn't help but look. They'd moved it downstairs after the accident with the petals; weapons of mass destruction had no place in a bedroom and they'd put it in a safe in the living room instead. This, in turn, had prompted him to come down in the dead of night so he could feel close to it again.

He'd just told everyone he knew - everyone who mattered to him, in the very least - that he would destroy an entire species without a second thought not because he wanted to protect others, but because he wanted the revenge he'd never had the chance to get. They all knew what they'd probably guessed already, and the thought was both freeing and terrifying.

As he stared at the souls of his people, Charlie knew that if there had been another weapon - on that would wipe out the Shadowkin without doing the same to his own loved ones (both in the Cabinet and on Earth), he would have done it in a heartbeat.

 _In a heartbeat._ Such a strange expression, and so human; the idea that in the matter of seconds, he could make a decision that would affect billions.

Charlie froze when he heard movement somewhere behind him. It was Quill, it had to be; Matteusz had been asleep for hours and no one else had a key. He'd known that she'd come back at some point and it was only natural that it would be at night. The only time his advanced hearing wouldn't register her approach was when he was asleep. Even now, she was quiet; too quiet for someone with shoes that made so much noise. April had once compared her to a cat and after Charlie had seen what cats were like, he'd been inclined to agree - she was soundless, could turn up anywhere without a warning and attacked in the most unfortunate moments.

He stood completely still as if she wouldn't notice him if he didn't draw attention to himself. He knew what would follow, he was prepared for it and realised that he wasn't scared; there was just quiet resignation. He'd seen enough of the gun she'd acquired to notice that it was a blaster - it could be absolutely silent if she wanted it to be. No one would hear anything, not even Matteusz upstairs and Charlie wished he could at least say goodbye. Quill disliked him almost as much as she disliked Charlie and who could know what would happen to him when Charlie was gone? He'd have nowhere to go. The prince felt a dull pang of irritation at the inability to do anything about it.

He froze even further when he _heard_ the movement of her arm as she aimed and okay, maybe he was a little scared but he'd stay still, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of flinching away, he-

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Even without moving, Charlie could see her as she came in to his peripheral vision. Her blonde hair glowed on the faint light from the Cabinet and gave her a slightly ethereal air, but it was still unmistakably her.

"You're thinking about it."

There was a hint of _gloating_ and when Charlie turned to face her, he saw a gleam in her almost colourless eyes that he hadn't seen since the day when she'd been bound to him. The wound that ran down her face looked even worse on the limited light, but he was ready to bet a decent part of his possessions that she liked it that way. She'd always wanted to terrify everyone even in her fairly unintimidating human form and she'd got the perfect chance.

"No."

"Yes, you are," she countered, her lips curled into a vicious smile. "Or you wouldn't be here. You're considering it."

 _She needs me_ , Charlie realised, not without a little satisfaction of his own. Killing him had probably been the first thing on her list, but she couldn't operate the Cabinet without him. It was a pretty big 'but' for someone whose main goal in life was to avenge her planet.

"I am _not_ ," he stressed but that only made her smile wider. She knew, of course she knew. They weren't that different after all.

The hand on his shoulder slid down to his elbow; closer to his fingertips, closer to the mechanism that opened the top of the Cabinet. "No need to be wary, Prince," she offered, voice barely more than a whisper. "Need I remind you that the _first_ thing I used my free will for was to save your worthless life?"

If it had been anyone else, Charlie would have asked _why_. She hated him, she'd called herself his slave and had believed it and it would have been very easy - pleasant, perhaps - to watch him die. No, not die; she'd see him locked up in a prison he would never be able to escape and wouldn't that be a righteous punishment for everything he'd done to her?

But she hadn't let it happen. For reasons Charlie would likely never understand, she'd seen him in danger and ha shot without a second's delay.

"No one on this planet has to get hurt." Quill's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Your little friend can open the portal to their world and you could do it on your own. No one dies except for them."

It was so, so tempting to listen to her. Charlie hated her for saying it and hated himself for listening, but he didn't deny it. He was tired of lying to himself and after the day he'd had, it seemed rather pointless to even try - he couldn't delude himself into thinking he'd found his peace when just the _thought_ of seeing the world of the Shadowkin as deserted as Rhodia had been made him clench his fists in an effort to control the impulse to act now; to open the Cabinet and watch while the light absorbed every Shadowkin in existence.

"April would die," he said at last and wasn't surprised to find that the thought terrified him. "And Matteusz..."

"He doesn't have to know." He'd never heard her sound like that before; coaxing and open and almost _friendly_. "You don't need to tell him. And April; I'm sure we can figure something out about her situation."

Charlie was well aware that he was being manipulated – back on Rhodia, people had only been so cheery in his presence when they wanted something; the majority of the reactions to him had been uncomfortable silence and eyes fixed on the floor out of fear – but he wasn't surprised by that either. He'd always known what kind of person Quill was but he also knew that she was right; if he could find a way to use the weapon without hurting the people he loved, he _would_. And she was going to make sure that he had the right circumstances, no matter how many people would die in the meantime.

"We won't discuss it again until we figure something out, then," Charlie conceded and faced her fully for the first time since she'd come in. "But if you hurt any of my friends in any way, you will _never_ see the Cabinet again."

She knew how to achieve what she wanted, but so did he. And even if some methods of negotiation were below the Prince of Rhodia, blackmail wasn't one of them. Apparently Quill had come to the same conclusion; there was frustration in her eyes, but the slightest suggestion of admiration as well.

The Cabinet was the only thing they had left to fight over. The war had ended; Rhodia was nothing but a desert they would probably never be able to go back to. It was just the two of them and the souls witnessing their exchange and Charlie felt almost _ashamed_ for not locking the Cabinet again before having this conversation. He couldn't hear their thoughts, couldn't talk to them; he didn't even know if they understood what was happening around them, but he could still feel billions of eyes focused on him as he made the only decision he'd never be able to run away from.

"Deal."

She didn't say more than that. It was a truce, for now, and Charlie suspected that they both come out of it feeling like the winner. It was enough to mask the weight of what they'd agreed to and for now, that would have to be enough.


End file.
